Three
by Holly Snyder
Summary: This is a story that I created on my own and I was hoping for some feedback so I could improve it! Meant for a Young Adult audience .
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

_Aelric_

Pounding came from down the hall. I knew it wouldn't be long now until Than came. His army was already here. Johnson stood at my side, fearless, awaiting death. His hand was on my shoulder, protecting me, his Shield wrapping around my body. I only wished I had stayed longer to help him succeed in expanding his Shield so that he could protect us all. I had failed my people. Jamia and Kaiti were already waiting at the opening of the ballroom, prepared to strike down whoever came through the door. With the allosphere in my hand, I stood at the back of the room, waiting for Than and Raol. I knew we wouldn't win. My visions were never wrong. But that piece of information I never told anyone, so I gave them hope.

The doors to the ballroom burst open, followed by gun shots. At least fourty people ran into the room, shooting guns and swinging swords. I watched as people began to fall to the ground. We were outnumbered two to one, that was for sure. But we held our ground.

As the war continued, Than made a grand entrance, shooting bolts of electricity at Johnson, bursting him into flames. I held my allosphere high above my head, but before I had the chance to retaliate, a trance took over my body.

In my dream, I was walking through a field, the grass high above my head and the sun beating down on my skin. I pushed through the grass to an opening and saw my three girls look back at me and cry for help. Then the world went black.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Sara_

Sweat poured down my face as I sent my round-house kick high in the air. I wiped the droplets away with the outside of my arm, attempting to keep them from entering my eyes. I definitely did not want to be blind right now. Kickboxing was hard enough without my ability to see being impaired.

"Five more; Keep going! You're doing great!" I heard my instructor yell. _Ugh. _My butt was burning and my heart was pumping faster than ever. I didn't think I could do one more, let alone five. But if I wanted to go undercover for the government, I needed this. It was my dream to work as an undercover spy for the U.S. government and it was very important that I be in the best shape possible.

"Excellent job! Now just walk in place. Let's get our heart rates back down."

I slowed down my pace and let my legs move at a steady pace. I could feel my lungs filling with air. _In through the nose, out through the mouth. _I put my hands over my head as the cramps began. I winced in pain trying to take in deeper breaths. _In, out. In, out. _Finally I could breathe again and my heart rate began to decrease. I stretched my arms out as I kept the pace with the instructor.

"Well done, class. I will see you on Friday." Today was Tuesday. The room became loud with gossip and we all turned around to leave.

"How'd you do, Sara?" Matt asked me as we walked to the back of the room to grab our gym bags. Matt was an old friend from high school who didn't leave Los Angeles, like me, when our class graduated. We had attempted to date once, but it didn't go very far. We just weren't compatible. He wanted to just lay back and raise a family but I had too many goals for myself. I wasn't going to stay put long enough to even think about marriage.

"Great. My butt hurts and my arms are weak. Sounds like a wonderful work out to me!"

Matt just shook his head, stifling a laugh. I smiled. "See you on Friday," I told him as I snatched my bag up off the floor, heading for the door. I took a drink from my water bottle before walking outside. My teeth chattered as I walked toward my car. The night air was colder than usual. I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to keep myself warm. After sweating, being outside in the cold breeze was not ideal. I did not want to end up with pneumonia or anything. I unlocked my car and tossed my bag in the back seat, slamming the door in a rush so I could turn on the heat in my car. I flung open my door and plopped down in my seat.

"Damn it!" I yelled after I turned my key three times, unsuccessfully getting my car to work. "This car is brand new! There's no way the battery could've gone dead already!" I jumped out of my seat and stomped toward the hood of the car. I raised my hands in the air and nearly screamed when I realized that I still needed to pop the hood. I threw my arms down at my sides and walked back toward the driver's seat.

"Need some help?" a male voice asked. _Huh. I hadn't even seen him pull in there. _He was driving a bright yellow mustang and had a smirk on his face as he asked me the question, copping a lean.

"No, I'm fine." I replied, my face bright red. It was bad enough that my car wasn't working, but why did he have to be so cute? It just made the situation so much worse! His dark brown hair fell in waves, some falling in his face and he had a smile that could make any women turn into the witch from The Wizard of Oz. His eyes were baby blue, brought out even more by his high cheekbones.

"Are you sure?" he asked, standing up from his lean that positioned him against his car.

"Yes." I sharply replied.

"Okay," he said with a smirk. He didn't move.

I stomped back toward the front of my car and opened the hood. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. _Great, my battery must be dead. Now I need to ask this guy for a jump. _I turned around to ask him for help. His hands were in his pockets and he smiling at me, as if he already knew that I was going to need to ask.

"Alright, I guess it would be nice if you could give me a jump." I told him, sighing in defeat.

"No prob," he said as he walked toward the back of his car. He popped his trunk and began searching for his jumper cables. "You're Sara Andrews, right?"

I felt panic begin to prick at my body. "Yeah. Why?"

"I took your kickboxing class last week and thought I recognized you, that's all." He grabbed the cables and closed his trunk.

"Oh," I responded, slightly relieved but still a little wary. He opened his car's hood and then attached his jumper cable before walking toward my car. He tried to make conversation as he helped me get my car started.

"So where are you from?" he asked.

"Los Angeles. Here. I never found the urge to leave after graduating high school. I love this place too much."

"Nice. I'm not originally from around here, so this place makes me panic sometimes." He laughed.

"Really? It's not too bad. Where are you from?" I asked him.

"Oh, you've never heard of it, I'm sure." He looked down at the engine, no longer smiling.

"Try me." I knew nearly every place in this country possible. I was going to need to know that information some day, I was sure. I had studied maps and encyclopedias since I was a little girl. I shuttered at how nerdy that must sound to others.

"Trust me. You've never heard of it. Okay, start your engine." I sat back down in the driver's seat and turned my key. The engine roared to life. Now all that needed to happen was for the juice from his battery to make its way into mine. When I turned to look back at this guy's car, he was right by my side, his hand reaching for my shoulder. "Geez!" I yelped as I jumped in my seat. I reached in my purse for my pepper spray as I realized what was going on. This guy didn't want to help me. He wanted to hurt me. But before I got the chance to turn back around, I blacked out.

_Gabrielle_

"Gabi! Wake up!" Mom yelled from outside my bedroom door. I hated it when she did that. Couldn't she just come in and poke me or something? I glanced at my clock. It was 4:30 in the morning and I had to help with chores. I hated Wednesdays. I had to pick the eggs from the chickens, milk the cows, and clean the barn. All before 7. I rolled out of bed, my eyes barely open, and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. I yawned as I walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing as tight as possible to keep from tripping. I had tripped so many times walking down these stairs it was ridiculous. Staying up last night to watch _Never Been Kissed _was obviously not a good idea. The movie was good but I'd never do that again.

"Gabi. Wake up," my mom said as she handed me my Pop Tarts. Brown sugar, my favorite. I smiled, ate them quickly and then pulled my boots on. I gulped down my glass of milk that had been sitting on the counter before heading toward the back door.

"Thanks, Mom," I said on my way out. I grabbed the bucket that was lying beside the house, put on my gloves and walked across the backyard. I tripped once on my way to the barn, causing me to jolt awake. Luckily, I didn't fall. I opened the barn door, walked back toward the chicken coop and began to search for eggs. _Wow. There aren't too many eggs today. _Mom wasn't going to be happy. I sighed. _Great. I'm going to have to do this again tomorrow. _After searching for every possible egg in the coop, I put my bucket of eggs near the barn door and walked into Madeline's stall.

"Good morning, Maddie!" I exclaimed as I ran my hand down her neck. She mooed. I grabbed the stool and pail from the back corner and began to milk Maddie. She was so calm today. I smiled. Living on the farm had its perks. It was peaceful, I got to be close to the animals and I wasn't as wrapped up in society as everyone else seemed to be. I didn't have a Facebook account or a MySpace account or anything. When would I ever use them? I did keep in touch through e-mail, but mostly I read in my spare time. I didn't even own one video game. After a while, I got as much milk as I needed.

"Thanks, Maddie!" I told her as I patted her head on my way out. Again, she mooed. I closed the gate to her stall and stretched my arms high above my head. I leaned back a little, trying to get rid of the kink in my back. Milking a cow did things to your body. Finally it was time to clean. I grabbed my shovel and started with the horses. I had to get rid of all the manure before I could put more hay back in the stalls.

"Hi there," I heard a voice say from behind me as I was shoveling. I jumped and spun around to see who was talking to me. He giggled. "Sorry to scare you."

"Oh, it's okay," I replied, the blood already starting to rise in my cheeks. He was cute. His brown, wavy hair fell in his face and his bright blue eyes peeked out over his high cheekbones. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you guys might need a stable hand. I just recently came to Dallas and was told that the Snyder residence might be interested. Are you Gabi?"

"Oh yeah, that's me! Um, I'm not quite sure what's going on, though. I don't think we've ever actually been asked that before and I don't think we put out an ad about a stable hand, but let me go check." I opened the gate to the horse's stable and walked into the hall of the barn. I closed the gate behind me. "Why don't you come with me? I can introduce you to my—" I gasped as I saw his hand touch my shoulder and then everything went black.

_Brooke_

"They came! They came!" I squealed as I burst in the front door of my apartment. My roommate was sitting on the couch, surrounded by pop cans and bags of chips. I reminded myself that we really needed to clean. I jumped onto the couch next to her and ripped open the manila envelope. I pulled out the pictures and she squeezed as close to me as possible so we could critique them together.

"These are awesome pictures, Brooke!" Katie screamed. I had just gotten my pictures developed that I was going to be sending to modeling agencies, hoping for a break through. I was 5'9" with black hair and blue eyes. I met the qualifications. I just worried that there were so many other girls out there like me, struggling through school and looking for a break. At least my roommate was excited.

"Thanks, Katie. I hope they like them!" I responded, worried. She seemed to sense my anxiety.

"If they don't Brooke, they're idiots. Every guy in this town wants you. I'm sure they'll want you, too," Katie said with a genuine smile. That was why I loved Katie so much. She was everything I wasn't—and couldn't—be. Guys never took me seriously. I was just a pretty face with a great body. Katie was so much more. She had the brains, she was sweet, she could make anyone laugh; she was everything I wished I could be.

After we had finished dinner and watching re-runs of Friends, the phone rang. Katie answered. "Hello? Oh hey, Jack! Yeah, she's here. Wait, what's going on? Yeah, let me ask. Hey Brooke, do you want to go to a party tonight?" My eyes lit up.

"Of course I do!" I squealed. "Tell Jack we'll be there in an hour." I didn't hear the rest of their conversation because I was running to my room, looking for an outfit to pick out. A party; I loved parties! I flew open my closet doors and began looking at my clothes. So many! I sighed. _Well, I guess we'll begin at the front. _I looked at each shirt and pushed them aside. I wanted something sexy. Jack was so hot. I **needed **to look sexy. As I reached toward the back of the closet, I saw my pink, sparkly halter top and knew it was the one. I dug through my drawers for my dark jean mini skirt and dressed as quickly as possible, putting on my silver heels as a plus. I smiled. _There's no way Jack is going to resist me tonight. _

Katie was done with her hair by the time I got to the bathroom. She knew the system. She did her hair as I dressed (it always took me forever) and then I did my hair while she dressed. We usually did our makeup together. She had pulled her blonde hair back into a curly ponytail, highlighting her facial features. "Be back in a bit," she said as she practically skipped toward her bedroom.

I smiled then pulled my hair out of the ponytail it was in and shook it out. I ran a brush through it before bringing the curling iron into the picture. By the time I was done with my hair, it was down in loose curls and Katie had already started on makeup. 20 minutes later, both of our faces on, we were ready to go—and late as always.

"You told Jack we'd be late right?" I asked.

"No, but I'm sure he knew," Katie said with a giggle. I laughed. We reached Jack's house in no time.

"Ow, ow!" I heard Jack bark as we walked toward the door. "Don't you two look mighty fine tonight?!" He smiled.

"Hi Jack," Katie and I said at the same time. We kissed him simultaneously on both of his cheeks.

"Yeah!" he yelled as the other girls just cast us evil glances.

"Brooke!" I heard a male voice from behind me say.

"Do I know you?" I responded as I turned around, my right hand on my hip. I was here for Jack. That was my mission. I was not going to spend much time talking to this guy. I had to get him to leave as quickly as possible.

"Well, I just came to Las Vegas not too long ago, so I doubted you would remember me. I'm Aiden."

"Fine. Nice to meet you," I said as I started to turn back toward Jack.

"Wait a minute," Aiden said. "Can I ask you a quick question? Alone?"

Alone? Oh, so this was how it was going to be. I was going to have to let this guy down easy. "Fine," I said as I started walking toward the sidewalk, my arms crossed over my chest. Aiden followed. "What's up?" I asked as I turned toward him, a glare clearly showing on my face. At another time I might've been interested in getting to know him a little better. His brown wavy hair fell in his face and his bright blue eyes were just gorgeous, highlighted by his high cheekbones.

"I met your sister the other day," he said.

"Sister? I don't have a sister." I was not in the mood for some silly conversation.

"Actually you do. And well, you're going to meet them," he said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"What?" I attempted to get out. But it was too late. Everything went black.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Sara_

My eyes opened. I jumped out of bed, remembering the man who dared to touch me. _But how did I black out?_ I stared around the room I was in and began to panic. I had never seen this place before. _Where am I? _

"Hello?" I yelled as loudly as possible. I turned around 180-degrees, taking in as much as I could. The room was white—and nothing but white. The mattress that I had been sleeping on was just a mattress on the floor, no box spring and no frame. It had white sheets on it with a white pillow. The walls were white, the closet door was white, and there was even a shower, toilet and sink—all white. _Like a psych ward, almost. _I walked over to the steel door that was separating me from the outside world.

"Hello?" I screamed, trying to get someone's attention. "What is going on here?" I pounded my fists on the door. I made noise for as long as I thought possible, then my throat started to go raw. I sat back down on the bed, attempting to evaluate my situation. I looked for anything I might use as a weapon. The room was entirely bare. _Great. _Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside my door, followed by the _click _of the dead bolt that was holding the door shut. I jumped up, balled my fists and moved back as far from the door as possible. The door opened and a woman entered. She was beautiful. Her blonde hair fell slightly passed her shoulders, arranged in loose curls. She had bright blue eyes and a slender body. It was obvious that she took very good care of herself as her black shirt defined every curve of her body. She wore loose khaki pants that held a weapon belt—but no weapon. She was carrying a shiny metal tray holding a glass of what looked like milk and a plate that carried some type of meat.

"Good afternoon, Miss Andrews," she said as she placed the tray on the end of my bed. "You can relax. I mean you no harm. My name is Naiti Young. You'll understand what's going on in due time. Right now, won't you eat? You have to be famished." She smiled. I just stared at her like she was some alien. Her smile disappeared. "I'll leave you to eat. Please just knock when you're finished." She turned around and left, locking the door behind her.

I slowly walked toward the bed, wary of what might be on the plate. I dipped my finger in the glass and tasted the liquid. It was like milk, but sweeter. I waited a minute. _Well, I didn't die. Apparently they're not attempting to kill me. _I took a bite of the meat and discovered it was similar to chicken. As I started to eat the meat, I realized just how hungry I was and wished I had a little more, like potatoes or something. I gulped down the milk-like substance and wiped my mouth. I walked toward the door and knocked loudly. It only took a second and the door was opening. I jumped back to avoid being hit.

"I take it you enjoyed it?" Naiti asked.

"Yes, it was good," I replied, trying not to give away my fear.

"Good, I'm glad you liked it!" She sounded excited. "If you'd come with me, please, I can take you to someone who can explain why you're here." I nodded and followed her out the door. I glanced around, trying to plot an escape but realized quickly that it wasn't going to be easy. The hall just looked like it never ended. There were many doors like mine, but all seemed to be locked and it didn't look like there were any stairs—or elevators, for that matter. I sighed in defeat and just followed Naiti. Maybe I could figure something out whenever I found out what was going on. I wasn't going to be anyone's prisoner. I was sure of that. I balled my fists tightly and followed Naiti to wherever my destiny might be.

_Gabi_

My eyes opened and I stretched, yawning in the process. I rolled over and fell off my bed, jarred awake and clearly aware that I was not home. _So this is what Dorothy must've felt like. I'm clearly not in Kansas anymore. _I took my time standing up, taking in the scenery. The room was nothing but white. It was almost blinding. The only color difference was the steel door that must lead to the hallway. I tiptoed toward the door, hoping that I could somehow figure out where I was. I definitely did not remember coming here. I turned the door knob, but the door wouldn't budge. Suddenly, I panicked, remembering what had happened last. A stable boy had come asking for work and put his hand on my shoulder. I screamed.

"Help! Help! Let me out! Can someone hear me?" I pounded my fists on the door, yelping in pain when my knuckle hit harder than expected. I turned around and walked back toward the bed, the room beginning to spin. "Why am I here? Why am I here?" I sat down on the floor beside the bed, brought my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs, rocking back and forth. I fought back tears. "Where am I?" I whispered out loud. The door clicked and started to open. I'm sure my face turned ash white. I was so afraid. I saw a black boot step through the opening. As I glanced up toward the person's face, I calmed down a little when I noticed it was just a girl holding a plate of food. She was beautiful. She was wearing a dark brown body suit which showed off her perfect body. Her dirty blonde hair fell in loose curls passed her chest and her deep brown eyes looked gorgeous when paired up with her plump lips. A look of worry pierced her face when she saw me sitting on the ground. She quickened her pace to place the tray of food on the end of my bed then reached out her hands to me.

"Don't be afraid Gabrielle. I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Ramina Young. I'm just here to bring you dinner." She smiled the most genuine smile I think I've ever seen. Next thing I knew, tears were streaking my face. I was so embarrassed. Compassion showed on her face as she knelt down next to me and pulled me into a hug. "Don't worry Gabrielle. I know you're scared. I would be, too. But you are safe; I promise." I nodded my head and pulled away from her grasp. She stood back up and pulled me onto my feet. "Would you like some dinner?" she asked. I nodded.

I walked toward the tray at the end of the bed and began to eat what looked like chicken. It tasted different, but it was still good. I followed up with the milk-like liquid (it was a little sweeter) and then smiled. "Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," Ramina smiled, her eyes twinkling. "You want to come with me? I think I know someone who might be able to tell you what's going on." She offered me a hand. I took it willingly. With a tray in one arm, she held my hand as we walked down the hallway toward whoever was going to help me.

_Brooke_

I snapped awake and sat up straight in the bed. _That guy. Aiden. _I looked around but saw nothing but white—white walls, white closet doors, a white shower, sink and toilet. Then I saw the front door. I jumped out of bed and ran for it but when I grasped the handle, the door wouldn't budge. I screamed a mouthful of words that I probably shouldn't have said and then began to pound on the doors.

"Let me out!" I screamed as loud as possible, trying to get someone's attention. "Aiden, I know it was you, you creep! You let me out of here right now!" I breathed heavily as panic overtook my body. I walked away from the door, took off my heels and chucked them as hard at the door as possible. I plopped down on the bed, worried that I wasn't going to make it out of here alive. _My dad will come looking for me. I know he will. _I wiped away the tear that was starting to fall from my eye, refusing to cry. I was strong. I was raised to be. I would figure out a way out of here. Then I heard the door click. Aiden came in from the other side.

"You jerk!" I screamed as I sprinted toward him, hitting his chest with my fists. "You're never going to get away with this!"

"Brooke, stop. I'm not going to hurt you. Do you want dinner? I can have someone bring it for you. I just thought I'd ask first. Somehow I didn't think you'd be interested." He smirked. I slapped him across the face.

"Let me go home. I don't want your stupid food. You might be trying to poison me," I yelled back. He just sighed and grabbed my hand.

"I'm sorry I have to do this this way. I'm going to take you to someone who can explain why you're here," he said before tossing me over his shoulder.

"What the—put me down you jerk!" I screamed and squealed as loud as possible. "Help! Help!" I screamed trying to get someone's attention. But when we entered the hallway, I noticed that it was just a long, white, endless hall that never seemed to end. I kicked and hit him in the back, but it didn't do any good. Finally, I just gave up. _I'll get out of here. Watch me. _


End file.
